What is considered abuse on Facebook?

Facebook has clear policies against abusive behavior and content on its platform. Understanding what constitutes abuse on Facebook can help users avoid violating its Community Standards and having their accounts disabled.

Harassment and Bullying

Facebook does not allow harassment, which includes unwanted sexual advances, stalking, repeatedly contacting someone against their wishes, or threatening someone with physical or financial harm. Here are some examples of harassment that violate Facebook’s policies:

Making unwanted sexual remarks towards another user

Sending unsolicited and inappropriate messages or friend requests to someone after they’ve asked you to stop
Threatening to post intimate photos of someone without their consent
Repeatedly contacting someone’s friends and family to obtain personal information about that person after they’ve denied your friend request

Bullying is also prohibited on Facebook. This includes:

Making cruel, offensive or humiliating comments towards someone
Singling someone out for abuse repeatedly

Mocking someone’s appearance, intelligence, economic status, abilities, etc.
Excluding or advocating the exclusion of someone from a group

Hate Speech

Facebook bans hate speech, which includes content that:

Attacks people based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition.
References or depicts violent events where protected groups were the primary targets or victims.
Seeks to deny or distort atrocities including the Holocaust, slavery, and genocides.

Incites fear or spreads negative stereotypes about protected categories.

Examples of prohibited hate speech

Calling for marginalized groups to be segregated from society.
Stating that certain races are intellectually inferior to others.

Spreading hoaxes about heinous crimes committed by particular ethnic groups.
Encouraging violence against people based on their sexual orientation.
Using slurs or slang to dehumanize someone.

Violence and Graphic Content

Depictions of violence and graphic content meant to incite shock or disgust are not allowed on Facebook. This includes:

Images of dying, wounded or dead people following accidents or attacks.
Videos of hostages being abused or murdered.

Photos of animal abuse.
instructions on how to make weapons for the purpose of harming others.

While some graphic content may be shared to raise awareness of issues, Facebook removes content glorifying or celebrating violence and suffering.

Child Exploitation

Facebook has zero tolerance for any content facilitating child exploitation. Prohibited content includes:

Images or videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
Luring minors into online sexual activity.

Sharing revealing photos of children, even if meant innocently.
Discussions about desires to commit sexual assault against minors.
Promoting harmful sterotypes about child predation based on false information.

Attempting to meet minors using Facebook’s messaging services is also banned under their child safety policies.

Spam and Fake Accounts

The following spam and fake account practices are not permitted on Facebook:

Creating multiple accounts under false or fraudulent pretenses.

Impersonating others to mislead people.
Artificially increasing distribution for financial gain.
Sending bulk unsolicited messages or friend requests.

Posting clickbait headlines or links to phishing sites.
Repeatedly posting identical or similar content across groups.

These behaviors disrupt users’ experience and are often used nefariously for scams and misinformation campaigns.

Illegal Activities

Facebook prohibits the facilitation of illegal activities through its platform. This includes content that:

coordinates or promotes criminal activities.
provides instructions for illegally manufacturing drugs or weapons.

admits to crimes committed on the platform.
threatens others with physical harm or criminal activities.

Law enforcement may request data on users engaged in illegal activities per Facebook’s policies.

Intellectual Property Violations

Facebook respects intellectual property rights and removes content that infringes on them. This includes:

Sharing or posting copyrighted material without the owner’s consent.
Impersonating an individual or brand without authorization.

Using someone’s name, likeness or other intellectual property misleadingly.
Selling or distributing counterfeit goods.

Reporting intellectual property violations prompts Facebook to remove infringing content expeditiously per the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Sensitive Content

While Facebook permits discussions around sensitive topics, certain content is restricted to avoid potential real-world harm. This includes:

Promoting or encouraging suicide or self-injury.
Providing instructions on dangerous activities like bomb-making, eating disorders, or drug abuse.

Identifying victims of self-injury or suicide without their or their family’s consent.
Sharing sensational health claims that have been confirmed false by leading health organizations.

Facebook may also add warning screens to sensitive content rather than remove it entirely.

Misrepresentation and Deception

Facebook prohibits misrepresentation and deceptive behaviors including:

Creating fake accounts or impersonating individuals.
Artificially boosting the popularity of content.

Evading detection through non-public methods.
Coordinating inauthentic behavior with others.
Representing yourself as affiliated with a government entity if untrue.

Such deceptive practices undermine the integrity of the Facebook community. The company actively works to detect and shut down manipulative networks engaging in misrepresentation.

Sexually Explicit Content

Facebook restricts sexually explicit content to avoid facilitating abuse or sex trafficking. Prohibited sexually explicit content includes:

Images depicting sexual acts such as intercourse or masturbation.

Videos showing genitals or female breasts where the person is nude or engaging in sexual acts.
Digital drawings or paintings of people showing genitalia or “sexually suggestive poses”.
Content promoting escort services, strip clubs, web cam sessions, etc.

While educational, medical, documentary or artistic content showing nudity or sexual acts may be permitted, sexually explicit language or captions often leads to removal.

Cruel and Insensitive Content

Facebook does not allow content that glorifies or mocks serious physical injuries, diseases or disabilities. This includes:

Joking about someone’s appearance if they have a disfigurement.

Suggesting victims of a terminal illness deserved their fate.
Celebrating or promoting self-harm practices like cutting.
Mocking people with speech or mobility disabilities.

Such content fundamentally lacks empathy and will be removed, especially when reported by those directly targeted or affected.

False News

Facebook works to reduce the distribution of false news by analyzing news source credibility and community feedback. Content rated false by fact-checkers is demoted including:

Articles making claims proven inaccurate by reputable journalists.

Clickbait headlines deliberately distorting facts.
Photoshopped or manipulated images presented as real.
Conspiracy theories with no factual basis or evidence.

While false content often violates other policies too, Facebook can directly label or limit its reach to curb misinformation.

Credible Violence

Facebook allows discussion around controversial issues but removes direct threats of violence deemed credible. Credible threats include:

Explicit or implied threats targeting specific people or groups.

Content promoting armed resistance against governments or law enforcement.
Rewarding acts of physical harm towards individuals or organizations.
Leak of personal information to enable violence against others.

Advocating for general violence against nameless categories of people may be permitted unless it inspires real-world harm.

Nudity and Sexual Activity

Facebook restricts some nudity and sexual activity to avoid adult content dominating its platform. Rules for such content include:

Images of female breasts and buttocks are generally not allowed.

Sexual intercourse, masturbation or fondling is prohibited.
Digital content simulating nudity or sexual acts is also not permitted.
Sexually explicit language, captions or emojis often leads to removal.

Calls for sexual encounters are prohibited even without nudity.

Certain exceptions apply for educational, medical, artistic and documentary content displaying nudity or sexual activity.

Regulated Goods

Facebook restricts the exchange of certain regulated goods on its platform. Prohibited activities include:

Attempting to purchase, sell or trade firearms, ammunition and explosives.
Offering or soliciting illegal or prescription drugs.
Coordinating the sale of marijuana despite legalization in some geographies.

Discussing how to evade age restrictions on regulated products like tobacco.
Providing or requesting prohibited regulated goods for free.

Facebook may allow legitimate discussions and advocacy around issues like drug legalization provided no sales are facilitated.

Phishing and Spam

Facebook works to prevent phishing content and spam from spreading on its platform. Prohibited behaviors include:

Links to fake login pages seeking user credentials.
Posts baiting users to click questionable links for information.

Sending unsolicited, duplicative messages or friend requests.
Creating multiple accounts under false pretenses.
Using bots or scripts to automate posting activity.

Phishing and spam not only clutter users’ feeds but enable online scams and the spread of malware.

Unauthorized Sales Promotions

Facebook restricts unauthorized sales promotions to maintain trust in its platform. Prohibited promotions include:

Unsolicited advertising in comments or messages.

Using deceptive captions or images to drive product sales.
Promoting ‘get rich quick’ schemes with inflated claims.
Directing users off Facebook to complete a sales transaction.

Running contests, giveaways or sweepstakes through misleading practices.

Legitimate sellers and advertisers must comply with Facebook’s promotions policies and authorization requirements.

Compromised Accounts

Facebook works to detect and secure accounts that have been compromised. Potential signs of a compromised account include:

A sudden change in account security settings like deactivating two-factor authentication.
Suspicious friend requests sent from your account to strangers.
Forged posts or messages promoting products or websites not typically endorsed.

Notifications that you recently logged in from a new device or location.
Posts about lucrative opportunities likely diverting your contacts to scams.

Users should change their password immediately and alert Facebook if they suspect their account has been compromised.

Circumventing Enforcement

Facebook prohibits attempts to avoid its enforcement mechanisms, including:

Creating new accounts after being banned for policy violations.
Using techniques to disguise restricted content that AI tools would normally detect.

Attempting to manipulate or corrupt Facebook’s compliance review process.
Inducing others to post policy-violating content on your behalf through coercion or compensation.
Censoring your identity or metadata to conceal policy-violating behavior.

Such deceptive tactics undermine Facebook’s safety efforts and will trigger more severe enforcement measures.

Inauthentic Behavior

Facebook works to detect and stop inauthentic behavior used to mislead and manipulate people. This includes:

Operating deceptive accounts under false or stolen identities.

Coordinating with others to misrepresent authorship or origin of content.
Artificially boosting distribution or growth through inorganic means.
Representing yourself as affiliated with organizations you do not work for.

Concealing your country of origin or other key metadata to deceive people.

Networks engaging in such deception and manipulation face removal along with their assets like pages and accounts.

Terrorism and Criminal Activity

Facebook has zero tolerance for terrorists and violent criminal organizations using its platform. Violating content includes:

Content promoting terrorist organizations or acts of organized violence against civilians.
Declarations of support for designated dangerous individuals and groups.
Images of hostages, beheadings or other terrorist propaganda.

Criminal organizations coordinating drug trafficking, human trafficking or assassination through Facebook.
Recruitment of members or solicitation of financial support for dangerous organizations.

Facebook’s counterterrorism teams also tip off authorities about credible threats to public safety they become aware of.

Impersonation

Facebook does not allow impersonation of others to mislead, confuse or deceive others. This includes:

Creating a fake account pretending to be a real person, celebrity or organization.
Naming your account in a way that implies you are someone famous.

Using someone else’s images or videos to represent yourself without permission.
Changing your name on Facebook to imply you are associated with a company or brand you do not represent.
Misrepresenting your website as the official domain for an individual, business or organization.

Impersonation accounts face removal and repeat offenders risk having their primary accounts disabled for community standards violations.

Conclusion

Facebook aims to foster authentic connections and communications on its platform. By outlining what constitutes abusive behavior and prohibited content, the company seeks to establish common decency standards protecting users.

Understanding these guidelines helps the community stay compliant as they engage with Facebook. However, the company realizes policies alone are insufficient and continues investing in AI tools and human review processes to detect and address abuses proactively at scale.

In cases where violations occur despite preventative measures, Facebook provides reporting mechanisms for users to flag concerning content quickly. Dedicated teams then review these reports around the clock to keep the platform safe.

With community support, Facebook can uphold its standards and fulfill its vision of giving people the power to build communities and bring the world closer together.